House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 2 May 2002 (pt 16)

Flood Defence

Mr. Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what future plans there are to increase funding to the Environment Agency for flood defence. [53450]

Mr. Morley: This Department provides grant (and supplementary credit approvals to local authorities) to the Environment Agency, local authorities and internal drainage boards for flood and coastal defence capital works in England. The total provision available, and the Environment Agency's share of it, is increasing as shown in the table:

£ million

2001–02 Provisional outturn 2002–03 Allocation 2003–04 Provision

Total 91.0 106.0 114.0

Of which:

Environment Agency 61.5 65.0 ⁽⁴⁾—

	2001–02 Provisional outturn	2002–03 Allocation	2003–04 Provision

Total	91.0	106.0	114.0

Of which:
Environment Agency	61.5	65.0	⁽⁴⁾—

⁽⁴⁾ Not yet allocated

The provision available for 2003–04 will be allocated to authorities later this year.

The other main source of funding for the Environment Agency are levies paid by local authorities. The figures are as follows:

£ million

2001–02 233.7

2002–03 247.8

2003–04 ⁽⁵⁾—

	£ million
2001–02	233.7
2002–03	247.8
2003–04	⁽⁵⁾—

⁽⁵⁾ To be decided in early 2003

Funding levels for future years will be considered in this year's spending review.

Rural Areas (Budget)

Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the effect of the Budget on rural areas. [51983]

Margaret Beckett [holding answer 23 April 2002]: Many of the measures in the Budget will benefit rural areas. In particular rural businesses are overwhelmingly small businesses and the Budget measures aimed at helping small businesses will benefit rural areas. The commitments given on increased benefits for health care and education will also help rural areas, as will the decision to exempt the provision of employer-subsidised bus services from tax. Measures to support neighbourhood renewal and to help disadvantaged areas, for example the abolition of stamp duty on non-residential property transfers in those areas, will also help the relatively few rural districts suffering severe social deprivation.

2 May 2002 : Column 948W

Battery Farming

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she intends to ban the beak trimming of birds kept in battery cages; and if she will make a statement. [49281]

Mr. Morley [holding answer 15 April 2002]: Council Directive 99/74/EC prohibits all mutilation but permits member states to authorise beak trimming provided it is carried out by qualified staff on chickens that are less than 10 days old and intended for laying. It is intended that the directive will be implemented in England without being added to in any way. We do expect beak trimming to be ended as soon as practicable and we will be discussing with the egg industry and breeders the best way to achieve this.

Ministerial Training

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much has been spent by her Department on training by the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts for Ministers and officials in each of the last five years. [52738]

Mr. Morley [holding answer 26 April 2002]: Ministers in this Department are able to take advantage of the "Programmes for Ministers" organised by the Centre for Management and Policy Studies (CMPS) in the Cabinet Office.

Since the formation of this Department in June 2001 no departmental training has been provided to Ministers and officials by the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts.

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much has been spent by her Department on training in leadership skills for Ministers and officials in each of the last five years. [52712]

Since the formation of this Department in June 2001, £492,878 has been spent on a departmental centrally funded leadership programme for the senior civil service in DEFRA and for other senior managers in key leadership roles.

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much has been spent by her Department on voice coaching for Ministers and officials in each of the last five years. [52699]

Since the formation of this Department in June 2001 no departmental costs have been incurred on voice coaching for Ministers and officials.

2 May 2002 : Column 949W

Energy Conservation

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the (1) (a) past and (b) future impact on carbon dioxide emissions of the enhanced capital allowances for investments in energy saving technologies introduced in April 2001; [53728]

(a)

(b)

(c)

(d)

(e)

(f)

Mr. Boateng: I have been asked to reply.

The energy-saving technologies introduced in 2001 are forecast to save at least 0.5 million tonnes of carbon a year by 2010. The technologies to be added in 2002 are expected to save a further one million tonnes of carbon to 2010, with the greatest contributions from radiant and warm air heaters, and refrigeration compressors. Savings will depend on the uptake and evolution of the scheme.

PRIVY COUNCIL

Overtime Payments

Mr. Bercow: To ask the President of the Council what his policy is on overtime payments for staff in his Department. [49130]

Mr. Robin Cook: My policy is that, where staff work extra hours, they should be properly recompensed for it. Accordingly, all staff in my Department, except for members of the senior civil service, are entitled to claim overtime for work done in excess of their conditioned hours.

Parliamentary Questions

Mr. Yeo: To ask the President of the Council if he will list the written questions asked of him between (a) 1 to 30 June 2001, (b) 1 to 31 July 2001, (c) 1 to 30 September 2001, (d) 1 to 31 October 2001, (e) 1 to 30 November 2001, (f) 1 to 31 December 2001, (g) 1 to 31 January 2002, (h) 1 to 28 February 2002, (i) 1 to 31 March 2002 and (j) 1 to 30 April 2002 that had not received a substantive answer by 30 April; and if he will state (i) the name of the hon. Member asking the question and (ii) the reasons the question had not received a substantive answer. [54079]

Mr. Robin Cook: Ministers have an obligation to Parliament to ensure that Members receive a substantive response to their named day question on the named day and to endeavour to answer an ordinary written question within a working week of it being tabled.

Ministers and their Departments should make every effort to ensure that the live load of questions still awaiting a substantive reply should be kept to a minimum at all times.

2 May 2002 : Column 950W

For my Department, only one question tabled by the hon. Member for Buckingham remained unanswered for the period in question, which was due in part to work pressures in the Department.

The hon. Member for Buckingham will receive a response to his question today.

WALES

Parliamentary Questions

Mr. Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the written questions asked of him between (a) 1 to 30 June 2001, (b) 1 to 31 July 2001, (c) 1 to 30 September 2001, (d) 1 to 31 October 2001, (e) 1 to 30 November 2001, (f) 1 to 31 December 2001, (g) 1 to 31 January 2002, (h) 1 to 28 February 2002, (i) 1 to 31 March 2002 and (j) 1 to 30 April 2002 that had not received a substantive answer by 30 April; and if he will state (i) the name of the hon. Member asking the question and (ii) the reasons the question had not received a substantive answer. [54086]

Mr. Paul Murphy: At the close of business on 30 April the following questions (excluding this one) had not received a substantive answer:

2001

1 June to 30 June—none

1 July to 31 July—none

1 September to 30 September—none

1 October to 31 October—none

1 November to 30 November—none

1 December to 31 December—none

2002

1 January to 31 January—two, John Bercow MP

1 February to 28 February—none

1 March to 31 March—one, Tony Wright, MP; one, Nigel Evans MP; one, Llew Smith MP

1 April to 30 April—one, Phyllis Starkey MP; three, Nigel Evans MP; one, Matthew Taylor MP.

It is my practice to answer questions as quickly as possible, consistent with the need to provide meaningful answers.

Of the 10 questions listed above, five had been with my Department for four working days or less on 30 April. The remainder asked for information which was not immediately available in the form requested and so required some additional time to compile.

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